To be clear, I don’t believe in too many hard design rules, in fact, I think many rules around decorating should be broken because it can be a fun way to show off your unique and personal style. But, there are certainly many guidelines to follow to make life easier when sprucing up your own home.
When it comes to art, I find many homeowners make the same mistakes around sizing and placement.
Here are three easy solutions to follow before you go putting holes in your walls.
How Large Should My Art Be?
The Error: Hanging artwork that is too small. (Unfortunately, I see this with rugs often too.)
The Solution: As a general rule of thumb, art can be about 1/2 to 2/3 the width of the piece it is hung above.
How High Should I Hang My Art?
The Error: A common mistake I see as a designer, is homeowners hanging their art way too high.
The Solution: If you’re hanging a single piece of art, the width should be a minimum of half the width of the furniture it’s going over. AND, the art should be hung ~8″ above the piece of furniture. That said, you should also be considering the height of the wall the art is being hung on. If the art is going on the wall without anything beneath it, standard practice shows, the art should hang at around eye level, or 60″ from the floor to the center of the art. But, if the ceiling is high, the art can be hung higher.
How Far Apart Should I Arrange My Wall Art?
The Error: A third mistake I see far too often, is a pair of wall art being hung too far apart.
The Solution: Typically, when hanging art in an arrangement of two or more, each piece should be hung approximately 2″-3″ away from the adjacent pieces.
Now, if you’re in the market for some new art, I’ve previously shared some of my favorite places to buy art online, or, if you prefer to look in person, art is one of my favorite pieces to thrift. You can find some really special, one of a kind pieces on auction sites, local estate sales or at thrift stores.
